Karaoke in Soho: private rooms, prices and how to book

Soho karaoke is a private-room business: shut the door, pick the songs, order the drinks to the booth. Two names have done it for decades and both publish their prices, which makes planning easy. The trick is understanding how each one charges, because they work in opposite ways.

Lucky Voice, 52 Poland Street

Lucky Voice calls itself London's original private karaoke venue and has been open since 2005. It sits at 52 Poland Street, a few minutes from Oxford Circus tube. There are nine private rooms, taking groups from small parties up to 15.

It charges per person, per hour, with a two-hour minimum. Off-peak is £8 a head every day, so the cheapest booking is £16 each. Peak rates run by night:

• Monday and Tuesday: £11
• Wednesday and Sunday: £12
• Thursday, Friday and Saturday: £14

Opening hours are 5pm to 1am on Monday and Tuesday, 5pm to 2am Wednesday to Friday, midday to half two on Saturday, and 2pm to 11pm on Sunday. That Sunday slot is handy: it is the only place in this guide where you can sing the weekend out with a proper last orders. Drinks packages and bottle service are offered for bigger groups, and a minimum spend applies to some room sizes and times, so ask when you book.

As a guide, a group of eight at the £14 peak rate comes to about £112 an hour, so £224 for the two-hour minimum. Book online through the Lucky Voice Soho page, or by phone on 020 7439 3660.

Go for: a Monday or Tuesday booking at the lower peak rate, with a bigger group and a bottle to share.

Karaoke Box, 18 Frith Street

Karaoke Box dates its original venue to 1997 and runs its Soho site at 18 Frith Street, with a sister branch in Mayfair. It suits smaller groups, with a large song list on touchscreen systems, wireless mics, and drinks and snacks brought to the booth.

Here you pay per room, per hour, with a cheaper early rate until 8pm and a dearer late rate after. The official prices:

• Room F, up to 3 people: £27 early, £39 late
• Room E, up to 4: £36 early, £52 late
• Room A, up to 5: £45 early, £65 late
• Room C, up to 7: £63 early, £91 late
• Room D, up to 9: £81 early, £117 late
• Room B, up to 12: £108 early, £156 late

That works out at roughly £9 a head an hour early and £13 late, if you fill the room. Karaoke Box also takes walk-ins, though a weekend night is a gamble without a booking. Phone 020 3943 3700 or email soho@karaokebox.co.uk, and check the closing time when you call. Full details are on the Soho location page.

Go for: an early evening slot before eight, when a room for nine is £81 in total.

Which one to pick

• Big group, late night: Lucky Voice, where drinks packages are built for numbers.
• Small group, early start: Karaoke Box, where the room rate before eight is the best value on Frith Street.
• Sunday: Lucky Voice, open until 11pm.

A note on Chinatown

Chinatown borders Soho to the north and west, and its karaoke rooms follow the Chinese KTV lounge and Japanese karaoke box tradition. The official Chinatown guide suggests dim sum first, cocktails next and a private room to finish, and it lists Plum Valley, Pinkbox Karaoke and Dumplings' Legend on Gerrard Street as places to sing. Rooms there are best arranged by phone, so confirm prices and hours directly before you set out. Details are in the Chinatown London karaoke guide.

Booking tips

• Count heads first. Lucky Voice charges per person, so a no-show costs you; Karaoke Box charges per room, so a smaller room can save money.
• Ask about minimum spend before you confirm.
• Book Thursday to Saturday ahead, and expect peak rates.